Ever since NPR launched its widely popular “Tiny Desk Concerts” online video series in 2008, musicians at all levels of their respective careers have flocked to creator Bob Boilen‘s desk to deliver stripped versions of their music in the cramped office space setting. Over the last year, however, music students at the prestigious Berklee College of Music have launched their own series very similar to the format of “Tiny Desk,” which is fittingly titled, “Tiny Dorm Sessions.”
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The series, which launched in spring 2018, has since produced over 50 performance videos, which have collectively earned its YouTube channel over 21,600 views. The initial videos produced by students featured select musicians giving their performances underneath a bunk bed in an (undisclosed) dorm room at the Boston music school. The production has since moved to an off-campus home where there’s a little more space to work with, in addition to participants no longer having to worry about getting caught by university officials.
“We had to keep it from our RA,” said Tiny Dorm co-founder and original videographer Madison Simpson. “We started out with one mic, and the camera tripod was the bedpost … The project gained traction when [co-founder] Curtis [Heimburger] moved into an apartment, and we could have a dedicated space.”
Simpson continued in discussing how their secretive video project has grown over the last year in adding, “It’s been really cool to see it gain momentum. It went from us asking people we knew to come perform in a dorm room, to people emailing and asking us if they could do a session.”
Watch some of the videos from “Tiny Dorm Sessions” below. Note the change in product quality based on the various performances over the past year.
Alici – Tiny Dorm Sessions
[Video: Tiny Dorm Sessions]
Kayla Rose – Tiny Dorm Sessions
[Video: Tiny Dorm Sessions]
It’s All Gravy feat. Alex Oh – Tiny Dorm Sessions
[Video: Tiny Dorm Sessions]
[H/T Berklee College of Music]